At ERS we’re fortunate to be able to underwrite some of the most exceptional and iconic high-performance vehicles that money can buy, a specialism that relies upon the unmatched knowledge and expertise of our team of underwriters.
Our Prestige team is comprised of true supercar fanatics, and it’s fair to say that few topics light up their eyes like the mention of ‘Bugatti’, which is this year celebrating its 110 year anniversary.
The automobile manufacturer has been celebrating in appropriate style. Earlier this year it launched a special edition of its 1479bhp Chiron Sport hypercar; in September this was followed up with the announcement of a homage to the Bugatti Baby, a new version of the reduced-size Type 35 race car that founder Ettore Bugatti first made for his young son almost 100 years ago.
High speed and high value
Bugatti is best known to younger generations for building the world’s fastest production car – the Veyron – which was recently voted the best car of the past 20 years by the audience of Top Gear.
But the company’s focus on incredible speed and exceptional engineering has been there from the get-go. Ettore Bugatti was dismissed from his first design role for putting all of his energies into racing cars at the expense of production vehicles. Back in 1916, French fighter pilot Roland Garros owned a Bugatti Type 18 because it allowed him to travel on the road at the same speed as airborne. The Bugatti Type 35, launched in 1924, remains one of the most successful racing cars of all time.
Not only have Bugattis always been fast; they’ve also been consistently expensive.
Earlier this year, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire sold at auction for 11 million euros – making it the most highly priced new car ever manufactured. Fortunately, La Voiture Noire is a one-of-a-kind; back in the early 1930s the Type 41 Royale almost bankrupted the company after Bugatti chose to debut the most expensive car of all time amidst a major global depression and ended up selling just three vehicles to customers.
The ultimate Prestige vehicle
Bugatti suffered a tumultuous time in the years shortly after the Second World War, with its factory eventually ceasing production in 1956. After a gap of 30 years the ‘Bugatti’ trademark was acquired by an Italian entrepreneur in 1987 and ended up transferring to Volkswagen in 1998.
But despite the business issues it has endured, Bugatti’s automotive prowess has never been in question, and today the brand is as strong as ever. Further, while 110 years may seem like an arbitrary date for a major celebration, Bugatti has form here; in 1991 the newly revitalised brand launched a 12-cylinder supercar, the EB110, to commemorate Ettore’s 110th birthday.
Besides, for anyone lucky enough to own a Bugatti, the celebration never really ends anyway – it’s a brand that practically all Prestige car lovers want to claim as their own. The British Bugatti Owner’s Club was founded as long ago as 1929, making it the oldest brand association organisation in the world – yet another incredible milestone in the manufacturer’s illustrious history.
What’s your favourite Bugatti?
Our Prestige team is particularly passionate about Bugattis, so to celebrate the anniversary, we thought we’d ask some of our team members to select their favourite models from 110 years of automotive genius.
Annie Ward, Prestige Product Manager: Centodieci
“I’m looking to the future and setting my sights on the Bugatti Centodieci. It’s a limited additional model (only 10 made and all now sold) to celebrate the anniversary and modelled on the EB110”
Jim Neild, Regional Trading Underwriter North, Prestige: Veyron
“The Veyron was a groundbreaking achievement of its time – a masterclass of speed and beauty.”
Sam Prever, Underwriter, Prestige: EB110
“Not the quickest and definitely not the most attractive of all Bugattis – also more of a classic than a modern as far as our Prestige underwriting appetite goes, but growing up I always wanted one!”
Jodie Carter, Underwriter, Prestige: Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Black Bess Edition
“A reinvention of one of the first ever street legal super sports cars with a black carbon fibre body and 24-karat gold details… What’s not to love about it?”
We’re proud to have several Bugattis on our books already and, as one of our all-time favourite manufacturers, we’re always keen for more. So if you’re looking to place your client’s Bugatti risk, get in touch with our team today – prestige@ers.com to learn more about our Prestige offering and why it’s perfectly suited to the insurance needs of British supercar owners.
